1. Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston: Though they ended up not making any deals, the Rangers and Boston had “good dialogue” around the trade deadline, major league officials said. A good portion of those talks focused on Ellsbury, who is two years younger than Hamilton and would be under club control for one more year. Ellsbury, who played center field for the Red Sox, would add an extra athletic dimension to the lineup, but it’s unlikely he could step into the No. 3 spot. One other thing: over the last five years, Ellsbury has averaged about 20 games less per season than Hamilton. He’s at least as much an injury risk as Hamilton, if not more.

Rumors have been swirling since the trade deadline that the Arizona Diamondbacks could be willing to deal star outfielder Justin Upton, and the Rangers seem like a natural fit with Josh Hamilton hitting free agency and Nelson Cruz soon to follow.

In fact, the Rangers reportedly like Upton so much, they tried to trade Mike Olt to the Braves for a minor league shortstop.

Why?

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Diamondbacks are hoping to acquire a top young shortstop in return for Upton, of which the Rangers currently have two: Elvis Andrus and Jurickson Profar. But Nightengale says the Rangers aren't willing to part with Andrus or Profar in a package for Upton, and the Rangers' next best prospect, 3B Mike Olt, doesn't fit the Diamondbacks' preferred position.

Knobler reported the Braves weren't interested in the deal, saying "If Braves had been willing to deal Simmons, they'd probably just get Upton for themselves. But they're keeping Simmons."

In short, it seems the Rangers have serious interest in Justin Upton, which shouldn't come as a surprise. But unless the team can get creative in acquiring a good young shortstop (or soften on their stance against trading Andrus or Profar), putting together a package to satisfy Arizona's demands could be difficult.

To post a comment, log into your chosen social network and then add your comment below. Your comments are subject to our Terms of Service and the privacy policy and terms of service of your social network. If you do not want to comment with a social network, please consider writing a letter to the editor.